Best NFL Regular Season Matchups to Watch, Week-by-Week

Week 16: Giants at Ravens – Sunday, Dec. 23 (1:00 p.m.)

A week after Peyton comes to town, the Ravens get younger brother Eli and the defending Super Bowl champions. It’s anyone guess what either team’s roster will look like after 15 weeks of play, but on paper, it reads like good theater.

(AP Photo/Sharon Ellman)The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

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The 2012 NFL regular season schedule is out and several games are already piquing interest. Peyton Manning’s name is everywhere, as is Tim Tebow’s. But there are great matchups to be had with or without those names attached. Here are the contests that should not be missed:

(AP Photos: Mark Lennihan, David Zalubowski)The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Week 1: Steelers...Ah, the return of “Sunday Night Football.” What’s more American? Not much really, except that the season’s first Sunday night clash pits two AFC rivals, led by two popular quarterbacks, who are backed by two exceptional defensive units. Steelers-Broncos is the NFL’s way of saying, 'here’s to a healthy Peyton Manning' (and TV ratings gold).

(AP Photos: Amy Sancetta, Ed Andrieski)The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Week 2: Bears at...Let’s be honest. Had Jay Cutler not spent most of the 2011-12 season sidelined with a thumb injury, the Bears would have been NFC postseason contenders. Green Bay defeated Chicago in both of their 2011 meetings, one with Cutler and one without. Factor in a healthy No. 6 and an active offseason in Chicago and this divisional game could be a doozy.

Who can forget last season’s infamous post-game handshake between Jim Harbaugh and Jim Schwartz? These teams will be energized. 'Megatron,' Randy Moss, Frank Gore, Matthew Stafford, Ndamukong Suh, Patrick Willis… you see where this is going.

(AP Photo/Rick Osentoski)The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Week 3: Patriots...A short-term memory is an athlete’s greatest intangible, but something tells me Baltimore has yet to forget how New England stole away their Super Bowl XLVI aspirations in the waning moments of the AFC Championship game last January. Billy Cundiff surely remembers.

(AP Photo/Matt Slocum)The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

“New York's slate appears, at this point, not only stout and not only filled with teams seeking revenge, but back loaded with particularly tough games. The Giants may not be able to afford to start slow and hope to gather focus as the season goes on.”

The last defending Super Bowl champions to repeat were the New England Patriots in 2003-04. Revenge is an entrée best served in the form of a brutal 2012 schedule.

(AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

(AP Photos: Ed Andrieski, David Duprey)The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Week 6: Giants a...The Giants overtime win in the NFC Championship game still stings by the Bay. It was one of the better games of last season’s playoffs and there’s little reason to suspect the rematch will be any less palpitating.

(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Week 7: Jets at ...It’s a rivalry that has taken off in recent years. The only major differences this year are that there’s a certain quarterback backing up an uncertain starter and Rex Ryan is refusing to make his annual guarantee.

(AP Photo/Julio Cortez)The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Week 8: Giants a...The Patriots are playing the Rams in London on this day and because it's the Rams most fans will be firing up their grills and restocking their coolers for the Giants-Cowboys. Tony Romo’s life changed off the field, but what of his game on it? A showdown with New York in the Palace de la Jones should provide plenty of answers as to which way Romo is headed.

(AP Photo/Julio Cortez)The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Week 9: Panthers...Steelers at Giants and Cowboys at Falcons are intriguing Week 9 contests, but Cam Newton vs. Robert Griffin III is a “Madden” gamers delight.

(AP Photo/Bill Feig, Tony Gutierrez)The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Week 10: Cowboys...If Michael Vick survives 10 weeks without major injury, this game has postseason repercussions. Philadelphia went “all-in” last season and got Munsoned. A loss to Dallas at the Linc would be a cruel reminder of what happens when you sign Vince Young.

(AP Photo/Brandon Wade)The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

“The 2012 schedule, unveiled Tuesday, features the Ravens and Steelers inexplicably playing twice in a span of three weeks – on Nov. 18 at Heinz Field on a nationally-televised Sunday night game, and then on Dec. 2 at M&T Bank Stadium. Heck, the bruises left from the Nov. 18 game won’t even have begun to subside by the time these teams lock horns all over again in Baltimore.

“The teams most happy about this arrangement are probably the Redskins and Chargers. That’s who the Ravens and Steelers, respectively, face on Dec. 9. It’s fair to assume that, after two smackdowns in three weeks, both the Ravens and Steelers will be limping into their Dec. 9 matchups.”

(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Week 12: The Bes...Week 12 crams some of the better regular season games into a five-day swing: Texans at Lions, Redskins at Cowboys, Patriots at Jets (Thanksgiving); 49ers at Saints, Packers at Giants (Sunday, Nov. 25); Panthers at Eagles (Monday, Nov. 26). You might as well take the whole week off.

(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Week 13: Eagles ...The outcome of Week 10’s clash in Philadelphia will impact the importance of this one in Arlington. Chances are whoever sweeps the series will be in close command of the NFC East.

(AP Photo/Brandon Wade)The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Week 14: Lions a...Remember this? Evan Dietrich-Smith does. Rivalries. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Week 15: 49ers a...The last time the Patriots and Niners met was back in 2008, when Matt Cassel was running the show for an injured Tom Brady. Much has changed since that meeting. Brady is back, the Niners are a lot better and they’re bringing Randy Moss and Mario Manningham to the party. If you like football, you like this game.

(AP Photos: Paul Sancya, John Raoux)The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Week 16: Giants ...A week after Peyton comes to town, the Ravens get younger brother Eli and the defending Super Bowl champions. It’s anyone guess what either team’s roster will look like after 15 weeks of play, but on paper, it reads like good theater.

(AP Photo/Sharon Ellman)The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

“If they're [Eagles] in a race with the Giants for the NFC East title, the Eagles will get to play the defending champs head-to-head to possibly decide it. Their final regular-season game of the year is against the Giants at MetLife Stadium. The Eagles have beaten the Giants in seven of their past eight tries, and they haven't lost at the Meadowlands since 2007.”

(AP Photo/Julio Cortez)The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.